Ultra

Not only was one of our guitar players (Galen Niles) inducted into the Texas Legacy Hall of Fame, but the entire band was also inducted. - Margaret Moser

Not only was one of our guitar players (Galen Niles) inducted into the Texas Legacy Hall of Fame, but the entire band was also inducted. - Margaret Moser

The San Antonio Express New ranked Ultra as one of the top 10 performances of 2012. Ultra was the ONLY local act to do receive this honor. - San Antonio Express News

The San Antonio Express New ranked Ultra as one of the top 10 performances of 2012. Ultra was the ONLY local act to do receive this honor. - San Antonio Express News

At a time when promising bands could still thrive in regional markets, yet never draw the attention of the nationally distributed major labels, Texan band Ultra's distinctive and highly professional twin-guitar boogie rock went criminally overlooked despite their logging hundreds of touring miles and four whole years from their home base of San Antonio, TX. Founded in 1974 by vocalist Don Evans and guitarist Galen Niles following the dissolution of their former band, Homer (whose second guitarist Van Wilks went on to a solo career with the Bombay Tears album for Mercury Records), Ultra completed its lineup with guitarist Larry McGuffin, bassist Scott Stephens, and drummer Tom Schleuning, and soon became openers of choice for major touring acts playing in Texas. However, as mentioned above, their own lone star never shone very bright outside the state confines, so that a five-song, white-label promotional EP was all that they managed to press during their lifetime. Finally running out of patience, and concerned with the encroaching advance of both disco and punk, Ultra quietly broke up in 1978; but their recordings would be heroically salvaged over 20 years later, and compiled into a collection entitled simply Ultra by Texas' own Monster Records. - Eduardo Rivadavia - AllMusic

At a time when promising bands could still thrive in regional markets, yet never draw the attention of the nationally distributed major labels, Texan band Ultra's distinctive and highly professional twin-guitar boogie rock went criminally overlooked despite their logging hundreds of touring miles and four whole years from their home base of San Antonio, TX. Founded in 1974 by vocalist Don Evans and guitarist Galen Niles following the dissolution of their former band, Homer (whose second guitarist Van Wilks went on to a solo career with the Bombay Tears album for Mercury Records), Ultra completed its lineup with guitarist Larry McGuffin, bassist Scott Stephens, and drummer Tom Schleuning, and soon became openers of choice for major touring acts playing in Texas. However, as mentioned above, their own lone star never shone very bright outside the state confines, so that a five-song, white-label promotional EP was all that they managed to press during their lifetime. Finally running out of patience, and concerned with the encroaching advance of both disco and punk, Ultra quietly broke up in 1978; but their recordings would be heroically salvaged over 20 years later, and compiled into a collection entitled simply Ultra by Texas' own Monster Records. - Eduardo Rivadavia - AllMusic

Background
Texan band Ultra were formed from the ashes of Homer, a band who at one stage featured well renowned guitar slinger Van Vilks. Ultra's sound would eventually be quite different to Homer's near prog tendencies; focusing instead on wall-to-wall guitar, provided by the six-string antics of Galen Niles and Larry McGuffin. Signed to a management company, Ultra would perform with many of the leading lights of the day, but because they weren't signed to a record label, their costs (particularly playing arena support slots) were extremely high. The band were often always broke, and their roadies were getting paid more than the band members themselves. During the period 1975-1978, the band released one 5 track EP, plus they recorded a handful of demo tracks, which at the time were never made public. By 1978, the band had enough. The hardship of playing without pay was too much, plus disco was on the horizon, so Ultra threw the towel in.

The Songs
This was not to say that the band were forgotten through the intervening years. Well known Texas label Monster Records, who made it an art-form of rediscovering some of these early classic rock bands, found a place for Ultra's back catalogue, and released an extensive 16 track CD during the year 2000. Recorded between 1975 and 1977, Ultra's music is safely held within the confines of other Texan bands operating at the time. Not as boogie oriented as ZZ Top and perhaps closer to contemporaries Point Blank, Ultra also found a niche comparable to other hard rockers of the day, including early Thin Lizzy and the Pat Travers Band. On this CD, most of the tracks hover at the 4 minute work, the overall CD clocks in at 1 hour 5min. There is some exceptional guitar work here, fiery, loud, straight out of the Marshall stacks, plus singer Don Evans comes across as a Phil Lynott soundalike in some places.

In Summary
Ultra are but one of many Texan bands worth re-discovering. Somewhere out there in Blogspot land you'll find a few of these gems, but really, do yourself a favour and hang around at websites like Rockadrome, Monster Records and others associated with long lost Texan bands, and see what else is available for your listening pleasure. Ultra provide a rare insight into the yesteryear window that was 70's Texan rawk and rawl.. - GDaze

Background
Texan band Ultra were formed from the ashes of Homer, a band who at one stage featured well renowned guitar slinger Van Vilks. Ultra's sound would eventually be quite different to Homer's near prog tendencies; focusing instead on wall-to-wall guitar, provided by the six-string antics of Galen Niles and Larry McGuffin. Signed to a management company, Ultra would perform with many of the leading lights of the day, but because they weren't signed to a record label, their costs (particularly playing arena support slots) were extremely high. The band were often always broke, and their roadies were getting paid more than the band members themselves. During the period 1975-1978, the band released one 5 track EP, plus they recorded a handful of demo tracks, which at the time were never made public. By 1978, the band had enough. The hardship of playing without pay was too much, plus disco was on the horizon, so Ultra threw the towel in.

The Songs
This was not to say that the band were forgotten through the intervening years. Well known Texas label Monster Records, who made it an art-form of rediscovering some of these early classic rock bands, found a place for Ultra's back catalogue, and released an extensive 16 track CD during the year 2000. Recorded between 1975 and 1977, Ultra's music is safely held within the confines of other Texan bands operating at the time. Not as boogie oriented as ZZ Top and perhaps closer to contemporaries Point Blank, Ultra also found a niche comparable to other hard rockers of the day, including early Thin Lizzy and the Pat Travers Band. On this CD, most of the tracks hover at the 4 minute work, the overall CD clocks in at 1 hour 5min. There is some exceptional guitar work here, fiery, loud, straight out of the Marshall stacks, plus singer Don Evans comes across as a Phil Lynott soundalike in some places.

In Summary
Ultra are but one of many Texan bands worth re-discovering. Somewhere out there in Blogspot land you'll find a few of these gems, but really, do yourself a favour and hang around at websites like Rockadrome, Monster Records and others associated with long lost Texan bands, and see what else is available for your listening pleasure. Ultra provide a rare insight into the yesteryear window that was 70's Texan rawk and rawl.. - GDaze

"Try to imagine if you can Wishbone Ash with two Ted Nugents on lead guitars! Fantastic!" - Freak Emporium

"Try to imagine if you can Wishbone Ash with two Ted Nugents on lead guitars! Fantastic!" - Freak Emporium

"This is sun-kissed heavy Southern rock, the twin guitars of Galen Niles and Larry McGuffin (you can't make names like that up!) wrestling and racing like alcofuelled bikers at a truckstop diner where Thin Lizzy and Blackfoot are on permanent jukebox repeat." - Terrorizer Magazine

"This is sun-kissed heavy Southern rock, the twin guitars of Galen Niles and Larry McGuffin (you can't make names like that up!) wrestling and racing like alcofuelled bikers at a truckstop diner where Thin Lizzy and Blackfoot are on permanent jukebox repeat." - Terrorizer Magazine

Ultra is old school metal/70's southern rock grooves with outstanding vocals that remind me mainly of ZZ-Top...in fact these cats seem to have a lot in common with the good 'ol Texas boys, but they are a tad more metal.. This is a different approach on classic rock. If you dig southern rock, Molly Hatchet, ZZ-Top...this will fit in. It would also go nicely along side of Priest and AC/DC alike. Hard rock southern metal psychedelic grooves...Safe to say this one will get some listening abuse by me :)"
robwrong - Stoner Rock

Ultra is old school metal/70's southern rock grooves with outstanding vocals that remind me mainly of ZZ-Top...in fact these cats seem to have a lot in common with the good 'ol Texas boys, but they are a tad more metal.. This is a different approach on classic rock. If you dig southern rock, Molly Hatchet, ZZ-Top...this will fit in. It would also go nicely along side of Priest and AC/DC alike. Hard rock southern metal psychedelic grooves...Safe to say this one will get some listening abuse by me :)"
robwrong - Stoner Rock

A Texan twin-guitar act operational during the 70s. With the revival of Southern-style metal, prompted by the late-90s stoner movement, many long-lost independently-released gems started to resurface, one of them being the eponymous Ultra album resurrected by Monster Records.

Ultra was born out of the act Homer, a unit comprising vocalist/drummer Don Evans, guitarists Galen Niles (a former member of 60s outfit The Outcasts) and Van Wilks as well as bassist Chet Himes. Homer was to falter when Van Wilks struck out on a solo career, issuing the ‘Bombay Tears’ album for major label Mercury and Chet Himes opted to pursue a career on the other side of the recording console, reaping subsequent credits on albums by artists such as Ted Nugent.

The duo of Evans and Niles hooked up with guitarist Larry McGuffin, bass player Scott Stevens and drummer Tom Schleuning to found a fresh act Ultra. McGuffin had been a student of Niles' post the Homer period and had persuaded his mentor to kickstart another band. The band toured hard, but would fold in 1978.

The tracks that make up the 2000 reissue were recorded in 1976-77. - Garry Sharpe-Young

A Texan twin-guitar act operational during the 70s. With the revival of Southern-style metal, prompted by the late-90s stoner movement, many long-lost independently-released gems started to resurface, one of them being the eponymous Ultra album resurrected by Monster Records.

Ultra was born out of the act Homer, a unit comprising vocalist/drummer Don Evans, guitarists Galen Niles (a former member of 60s outfit The Outcasts) and Van Wilks as well as bassist Chet Himes. Homer was to falter when Van Wilks struck out on a solo career, issuing the ‘Bombay Tears’ album for major label Mercury and Chet Himes opted to pursue a career on the other side of the recording console, reaping subsequent credits on albums by artists such as Ted Nugent.

The duo of Evans and Niles hooked up with guitarist Larry McGuffin, bass player Scott Stevens and drummer Tom Schleuning to found a fresh act Ultra. McGuffin had been a student of Niles' post the Homer period and had persuaded his mentor to kickstart another band. The band toured hard, but would fold in 1978.

The tracks that make up the 2000 reissue were recorded in 1976-77. - Garry Sharpe-Young

I have reuploaded this very rare gem of classic rock as requested. I originally posted this back in 2006, and the download link has been broken for quite some time, along with all the other gigasize links that I posted. I wish I could remember where I found this so I could give the original uploader due credit. In all likelihood this came from the now defunct ChrisGoesRock blog, but since it no longer exists I can't be certain.

Before Ultra, there was Homer. By 1974, the line-up of the Texas band “Homer” was: Don Evans (vocals & drums), Chet Himes (bass), Van Wilks (guitar), and Galen Niles (guitar). This version of the band lasted for only a short while, as Van Wilks left to pursue a solo career (“Bombay Tears” - Mercury Records) and Chet Himes left to pursue a career as a recording engineer (“Christipher Cross”, “Ted Nugent Live”, etc.). After a brief time-out, remaining “Homer” members Galen Niles and Don Evans teamed up with Larry McGuffin (guitar), Scott Stephens (bass), and Tom Schleuning (drums) to form the group “Ultra”. They agreed that the music of Ultra would be a departure from the 3-part vocal harmonies and “mellotron” background characteristic of Homer’s music; Gibson Guitars plugged directly into Marshall 100 watt stacks blasting out twin lead guitars playing harmony and trading solos would form the basis of Ultra’s music.

After several months of rehersal, they set about securing management. Not wanting to be labeled a “club band”, the group found management services in the form of a Texas rock-concert promotion company: “Stone City Productions”. Consequently, Ultra’s public performances were almost exclusively as the opening act for several touring bands popular at the time. Performing at this level gave Ultra a fair amount of audience exposure, but it also meant that their road expenses were very high; in fact, their “roadies” usually took home most what little money that there was.

Three years of starvation and the creeping popularity of “disco” and “punk” music convinced the band mambers that the prospect of getting a hard-edged rock band off the ground at that point in time was not very good, and the group disbanded in 1978. These songs were recorded from 1976 - 1978 at United Audio Recording Studios in San Antonio, and were engineered by Bob Bruce. All songs were written by Niles, McGuffin & Evans

Ultra is old school metal/70's southern rock grooves with outstanding vocals. These songs all have a southern groove thing happening and I could easily see Ultra on a bill with Dixie Witch or Weedeater alike. The songs are super tight rock and roll veteran style. The rhythm section is unstoppable and just trucks along like a well oiled machine the whole time. The guitar work is outstanding and fitting for the music, but seems to push the envelope one step further and adding styling/leads that would be equally fitting on a Iron Maiden or Judas Priest record...I guess this is where the main metal aspect comes from. There are tons of 2 part harmony guitar leads and super precise chops. Top notch musicianship in all fields. - Zero-II

I have reuploaded this very rare gem of classic rock as requested. I originally posted this back in 2006, and the download link has been broken for quite some time, along with all the other gigasize links that I posted. I wish I could remember where I found this so I could give the original uploader due credit. In all likelihood this came from the now defunct ChrisGoesRock blog, but since it no longer exists I can't be certain.

Before Ultra, there was Homer. By 1974, the line-up of the Texas band “Homer” was: Don Evans (vocals & drums), Chet Himes (bass), Van Wilks (guitar), and Galen Niles (guitar). This version of the band lasted for only a short while, as Van Wilks left to pursue a solo career (“Bombay Tears” - Mercury Records) and Chet Himes left to pursue a career as a recording engineer (“Christipher Cross”, “Ted Nugent Live”, etc.). After a brief time-out, remaining “Homer” members Galen Niles and Don Evans teamed up with Larry McGuffin (guitar), Scott Stephens (bass), and Tom Schleuning (drums) to form the group “Ultra”. They agreed that the music of Ultra would be a departure from the 3-part vocal harmonies and “mellotron” background characteristic of Homer’s music; Gibson Guitars plugged directly into Marshall 100 watt stacks blasting out twin lead guitars playing harmony and trading solos would form the basis of Ultra’s music.

After several months of rehersal, they set about securing management. Not wanting to be labeled a “club band”, the group found management services in the form of a Texas rock-concert promotion company: “Stone City Productions”. Consequently, Ultra’s public performances were almost exclusively as the opening act for several touring bands popular at the time. Performing at this level gave Ultra a fair amount of audience exposure, but it also meant that their road expenses were very high; in fact, their “roadies” usually took home most what little money that there was.

Three years of starvation and the creeping popularity of “disco” and “punk” music convinced the band mambers that the prospect of getting a hard-edged rock band off the ground at that point in time was not very good, and the group disbanded in 1978. These songs were recorded from 1976 - 1978 at United Audio Recording Studios in San Antonio, and were engineered by Bob Bruce. All songs were written by Niles, McGuffin & Evans

Ultra is old school metal/70's southern rock grooves with outstanding vocals. These songs all have a southern groove thing happening and I could easily see Ultra on a bill with Dixie Witch or Weedeater alike. The songs are super tight rock and roll veteran style. The rhythm section is unstoppable and just trucks along like a well oiled machine the whole time. The guitar work is outstanding and fitting for the music, but seems to push the envelope one step further and adding styling/leads that would be equally fitting on a Iron Maiden or Judas Priest record...I guess this is where the main metal aspect comes from. There are tons of 2 part harmony guitar leads and super precise chops. Top notch musicianship in all fields. - Zero-II

South Texas 70s rock and roll group ULTRA, featuring legendary guitarist Galen Niles (Outcasts, Homer), will reunite on September 4th at Floore’s Country Store in Helotes, Texas for the first time in over 30 years! Also appearing at this Texas Legacy Music Awards show will be other South Texas 60s groups like Bubble Puppy, plus members of Zakary Thaks, The Headstones, The Clique, The Outcasts and more. Galen Niles is a true South Texas guitar hero who’s responsible for teaching and inspiring a who’s who of Texas guitar players.

The complete late 70s recordings from ULTRA are still available via Rockadrome’s Vintage label and feature 16 classic foot-stomping Texas style twin guitar hard rock tracks in full glory! - Rockadrome Records

South Texas 70s rock and roll group ULTRA, featuring legendary guitarist Galen Niles (Outcasts, Homer), will reunite on September 4th at Floore’s Country Store in Helotes, Texas for the first time in over 30 years! Also appearing at this Texas Legacy Music Awards show will be other South Texas 60s groups like Bubble Puppy, plus members of Zakary Thaks, The Headstones, The Clique, The Outcasts and more. Galen Niles is a true South Texas guitar hero who’s responsible for teaching and inspiring a who’s who of Texas guitar players.

The complete late 70s recordings from ULTRA are still available via Rockadrome’s Vintage label and feature 16 classic foot-stomping Texas style twin guitar hard rock tracks in full glory! - Rockadrome Records

Classic Texas-style, bad-ass hard rock and roll from one of the founders of the legendary Texas psych/rock group, Homer, recorded 1975-77; sixteen explosive twin lead-guitar filled cuts all digitally-remastered from the mid-70's master recordings—guitarist Galen Niles tears up the fretboard! Previously released on the Monster Records label, now repackaged and back in print on the Vintage (Rockadrome) label. Return to the days of classic hard rock done the way it was meant to be!! Don't miss it!! - CD Baby

Classic Texas-style, bad-ass hard rock and roll from one of the founders of the legendary Texas psych/rock group, Homer, recorded 1975-77; sixteen explosive twin lead-guitar filled cuts all digitally-remastered from the mid-70's master recordings—guitarist Galen Niles tears up the fretboard! Previously released on the Monster Records label, now repackaged and back in print on the Vintage (Rockadrome) label. Return to the days of classic hard rock done the way it was meant to be!! Don't miss it!! - CD Baby